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☆ I made the biggest decision of my career when I sold Credit Karma. Here are the 4 most important lessons I learned.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Kenneth Lin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Kenneth Lin is the founder and CEO of Credit Karma, a personal-finance company that was sold to Intuit for a whopping $8.1 billion in one of the biggest fintech deals of 2020. Lin says it took months to decide on the acquisition and it was the biggest decision of his career. After countless Starbucks conversations and dozens of "duds," the idea for Credit Karma hit. This decision wasn't made overnight and neither was the success of Credit Karma. There's no blueprint for the perfect CEOLike others who start to ascend in their careers, I spent much of my early years at Credit Karma feeling a bit like an imposter.

BOSTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to sentence the mastermind of the largest U.S. college admissions fraud scheme ever uncovered to six years in prison after he helped them secure the convictions of dozens of wealthy parents including Hollywood celebrities. Prosecutors made the recommendation a week before William "Rick" Singer, the college admissions consultant at the center of the "Operation Varsity Blues" investigation, goes before a judge for sentencing after pleading guilty in 2019. Prosecutors said Singer, operating through his California-based college admissions counseling service The Key and a related charity, took in more than $25 million from his clients. They said he paid out more than $7 million to bribe coaches and administrators at schools including Georgetown University, the University of Southern California, Yale University and Stanford University. Singer, who now lives in a Florida trailer park, in his own filing wrote that he lost everything by "ignoring what was morally, ethically, and legally right in favor of winning what I perceived was the college admissions 'game.'"

☆ West backs Nigeria's war on extremists, and backs off on human rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

“While respect for human rights is unquestionably a high priority, we have many other equities at stake,” McCulley wrote. He said the focus on human rights had sent relations between the two countries into the “lowest ebb” in his three years there. Nigeria’s human rights record wasn’t only a moral issue – it was a legal one. Working under these laws provided “openings to incentivise and institutionalise” human rights protections within the Nigerian military, the State Department said. The pact also noted that London and Abuja had agreed on an “enhanced human rights dialogue” to ensure compliance with international rights standards.

☆ Shell to pay 15 mln euros in settlement over Nigerian oil spills
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A Shell logo is pictured during the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland, May 23, 2022. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseCompanies Shell PLC FollowAMSTERDAM, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L) will pay 15 million euros ($15.9 million) to communities in Nigeria that were affected by multiple oil pipeline leaks in the Niger Delta, the oil company on Friday said in a joint statement with the Dutch division of Friends of the Earth. The money will benefit the communities of Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo in Nigeria, that were impacted by four oil spills that occurred between 2004 and 2007. "The settlement is on a no admission of liability basis, and settles all claims and ends all pending litigation related to the spills," Shell said. After the appeals court's final ruling last year, Shell said it continued to believe the spills were caused by sabotage.

☆ Going Into 2023, CIOs Weigh Tech Priorities Against Economic Realities
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Bonnie Titone, chief information officer at Duke Energy Corp., a Charlotte, N.C.-based power producer, said CIOs are being told to get by with less, but without decreasing output or positive outcomes. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. One resource to keep top of mind is talent, said Brad Peterson, Nasdaq Inc.’s chief technology and chief information officer, adding that economic slowdowns can provide opportunities to reassess talent development and succession planning. Diogo Rau, chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly Photo: Eli Lilly & Co. “My perceptions of the economy haven’t changed the way I plan to approach my role,” said Diogo Rau, chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly & Co.

☆ Google to appeal India antitrust ruling on Android
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) said on Friday it will appeal the Indian antitrust watchdog's ruling that ordered the tech giant to change its approach to its Android platform and imposed a fine of $162 million for anti-competitive practices. Reuters had earlier reported that the CCI ruling worried Google as it sought wider-ranging remedial measures. "Android has greatly benefitted Indian users, developers, and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), and powered India's digital transformation. Google plans to appeal that decision as well, where it faces a record $4.1 billion fine. The U.S. tech giant, Android has created more choice for everyone and such agreements help keep the operating system free.

☆ A former Salesforce exec and startup COO describes her downward spiral into workaholism: 'I had to learn work boundaries the hard way'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I thought I was going to work at Salesforce my entire life; I was there for almost 12 years. But a turning point happened in my career — and really, my life — after my husband and I had a jarring conversation. On the drive home, my husband said, "You are really hard to be around right now." At Ironclad, I still worked hard — that's just who I am — but this time I worked smarter. Creating these boundaries and learning how to stick to them has helped me understand that I set the limits of my work life — not the company I work for.

However, the WHO has said gaps in data might be due to Chinese authorities simply struggling to tally cases. Some estimates predict large numbers of deaths ahead and China has been racing to bolster its health system. Lawrence Gostin, a law professor at Georgetown University who follows the WHO closely, called the missing data "highly suspicious". "It's hard to criticise China when there's other countries that haven't reported COVID cases (at all)," he said. "I wouldn't like to say that China is actively not telling us what's going on.

☆ India panel recommends digital competition act to rein in Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - An Indian parliamentary panel on Thursday recommended the government enact a digital competition act to regulate anti-competitive business practices by Big Tech companies on its platforms. Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google and Apple (AAPL.O) have in the past faced scrutiny from the country's competition watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), over alleged abuse of the application market. Companies including Facebook (META.O), Twitter and Google (GOOGL.O) have for years been concerned with many regulations India has proposed for the technology sector, with companies complaining about excessive compliance burdens. Amazon, Google, Meta, Twitter and Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment. A specialised digital markets unit should be established within the competition watchdog, the panel said, adding that competitive behaviour of big tech companies needs to be monitored in advance and not after markets become monopolised.

Dec 22 (Reuters) - FTX founder and former Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried, who faces U.S. fraud charges over the collapse of FTX, ran his crypto empire with a number of associates. GARY WANGGary Wang co-founded FTX and Alameda Research with Bankman-Fried, and served as FTX's chief technology officer. He and Bankman-Fried met at a math camp in high school and became college roommates, Bankman-Fried wrote in a now-unavailable FTX blog. Wang worked as a software engineer at Google before co-founding FTX and Alameda, according to an archived webpage for the FTX Future Fund, the company's charitable effort. NISHAD SINGHNishad Singh was a best friend of Bankman-Fried's brother in high school, Bankman-Fried wrote in the deleted blog post.

☆ Sam-Bankman Fried to be released on $250 million bail and will be required to stay with parents ahead of FTX trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sam Bankman-Fried was granted release on $250 million bail at a court hearing Thursday. He will be required to surrender his passport and stay with his parents ahead of a federal trial on a list of charges tied to the failure of FTX. Bankman-Fried will be required to attend a court hearing in California at 10 a.m. Friday, Gorenstein ruled. Another court hearing is scheduled for January 3 in Manhattan, where Bankman-Fried is expected to enter a plea. Criminal allegations against Ellison and Wang, first filed on December 19, were unsealed in court on Thursday morning ahead of Bankman-Fried's court appearance.

☆ Zelenskyy's U.S. trip comes as Ukraine warns Putin is planning a major new offensive
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The visit comes a day after Zelenskyy greeted troops in Bakhmut, a front-line city that Moscow's forces have struggled to seize despite months of intense battles, while Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a rare admission of his army's difficulties. The Russian leader’s pre-Christmas trip to neighboring Belarus only added to mounting speculation. Zelenskyy will now meet with President Joe Biden and address Congress as his country hopes to not just shore up but secure greater support from its Western allies. "Ukraine is very keen to step up and intensify the military support from the U.S.," Frank Ledwidge, a senior lecturer of law and strategy at University of Portsmouth, told NBC News. On Monday, Putin and his most senior advisers traveled to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, to meet authoritarian ally President Alexander Lukashenko, amplifying long-held fears that his forces could join a new offensive.

CARACAS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition parties are seeking to remove Juan Guaido as head of Citgo, the country's most important asset abroad, and block his interim government from extending its mandate by another year, spokespeople from the country's main opposition parties said on Wednesday. But opposition political parties propose instead to replace Guaido with a commission of five parliament-appointed members to govern Citgo's assets, and block the one-year extension. Parties looking to replace Guaido have proposed delegating the functions of the interim government to the new commission. Three of Venezuela's largest opposition parties support the motion, Marquina said, while the fourth - which Guaido belongs to - supports the interim government. Guaido's failure to extend his leadership may spell trouble for the boards controlling those assets, whose legitimacy rests on the recognition of Guaido as Venezuela's interim leader.

☆ The 'Black Adam' debacle shows the limits of even superhero movies and Dwayne Johnson's star power
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dwayne Johnson said that "Black Adam" isn't part of the new DC film universe's "first chapter." The movie didn't click with audiences, showing the limits of superhero movies and the Rock's star power. The rest of Johnson's statement read like an obituary, saying that he'll "always look back on the fan reaction to Black Adam with tremendous gratitude." Johnson's damage-control instincts kicked into high gear with "Black Adam," a passion project he spent over a decade trying to make. Black Adam isn't a well-known character, so it was always going to face an uphill battle.

☆ 50 states sign up for Walmart’s opioid settlement framework
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Walmart said it has reached settlement agreements with all 50 US states as part of a $3.1 billion nationwide opioid settlement announced last month. In November, the retailer announced a settlement from multiple states’ attorneys general that accused the company of failing to regulate opioid prescriptions contributing to the nationwide opioid crisis. Those two chains have tentatively agreed to pay a combined $10 billion to settle lawsuits brought by states and local governments alleging the retailers mishandled prescriptions of opioid painkillers. US states, cities and counties have filed more than 3,000 lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies, accusing them of downplaying the addiction risk and failing to stop pills from being diverted for illegal use. – CNN’s Shawn Nottingham and Kristina Sgueglia contributed to this report.

☆ New bill will force Twitter, TikTok and other social media platforms to increase transparency by sharing internal data
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill on Wednesday aimed at increasing transparency for Twitter , Facebook and other social media companies as lawmakers debate whether to ban TikTok. The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act is intended to make the companies' internal data more accessible to the public by requiring the submission of necessary data to independent researchers. Under the proposal, social media companies would be compelled to provide internal, privacy-protected data to researchers who've been approved by the National Science Foundation, an independent agency. The bill protects researchers from legal liabilities associated with automatic data collection if certain privacy safeguards are followed. Earlier this month, lawmakers floated a bill to ban the popular social media platform TikTok in the U.S. after years of speculation about the Chinese government's influence on ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok.

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had campaigned on overturning Trump's hardline immigration measures before taking office in 2021 but kept Title 42 in place for more than a year. A federal judge last month ruled Title 42 was unlawful in response to a lawsuit originally brought by asylum-seeking migrants represented by the American Civil Liberties Union. Hours later, Chief Justice John Roberts in a brief order issued a stay that will leave Title 42 in place until further notice from the court. DHS last week updated a six-pillar plan that calls for the expanded use of a fast-track deportation process if Title 42 is terminated. In El Paso, shelters have struggled to provide for arriving migrants even as many ultimately are headed to join relatives in other parts of the United States.

REUTERS/Jordan VonderhaarWASHINGTON/CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said COVID-era restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border that have prevented hundreds of thousands of migrants from seeking asylum should be kept in place for now, siding with Republicans who brought a legal challenge. U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had campaigned on overturning Trump's hardline immigration measures before taking office in 2021 but kept Title 42 in place for more than a year. A federal judge last month ruled Title 42 was unlawful in response to a lawsuit originally by asylum-seeking migrants represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Hours later, Chief Justice John Roberts in a brief order issued a stay that will leave Title 42 in place until further notice from the court. In El Paso, shelters have struggled to house newcomers even as many ultimately are headed to join relatives in other parts of the United States.

☆ Jan. 6 committee highlights: Panel votes on criminal referrals for Trump and others
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +48 min

“By the time President Trump was preparing to give his speech, he and his advisors knew enough to cancel the rally. “Some have suggested that President Trump gave an order to have 10,000 troops ready for January 6th. On far-right groups drawing inspiration from Trump: Trump has not denied that he helped inspire far-right groups, including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, to violently attempt to obstruct the official certification proceedings on Jan. 6. "There is no question from all the evidence assembled that President Trump did have that intent." Share this -Link copiedInside the final Jan. 6 committee meeting The Jan. 6 committee met for what’s likely its final public meeting, with many of the usual faces present.

☆ NASA hasn't heard from its InSight lander in 5 days. It may have run out of power and died on Mars.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

NASA's InSight lander on Mars isn't responding to communications from Earth, likely due to low power levels. The solar arrays on NASA's InSight lander are deployed for a test at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, on April 30, 2015. An illustration of the InSight Mars lander. An artist illustration of the InSight lander on Mars. Then they instructed the robot to scoop up dirt and slowly trickle it next to the solar panels.

[1/2] Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, February 15, 2020. REUTERS/Andreas GebertCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowSAN JOSE/WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) boss Mark Zuckerberg said the company is focused on building communications apps and developer platforms, speaking on Tuesday at a high-profile trial over the future of its budding metaverse business. Wearing a blue suit, a white mask, and glasses, Zuckerberg appeared in federal court in San Jose, California, to defend Meta's acquisition of virtual reality app developer Within. The FTC sued the Facebook and Instagram owner in July to stop the deal, saying its "campaign to conquer VR (virtual reality)" began in 2014 when it acquired Oculus, a VR headset manufacturer. It has accused Meta of trying to buy its way to dominance in the metaverse.

The temporary order from the nation's highest court means Title 42 will stay in place until further notice from the court. Title 42, aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, was issued in March 2020 under Republican former President Donald Trump, an immigration restrictionist. Jean-Pierre stressed that migrants entering illegally could still be removed via other means even if eventually Title 42 goes away. "Truly, I am asking from my heart for the opportunity to enter" the United States. In El Paso, shelters have struggled to house newcomers even as many ultimately are headed to join relatives in other parts of the United States.

☆ Jan. 6 committee live updates: Panel votes on criminal referrals for Trump and others
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Summer Concepcion | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +42 min

Committee details Trump allies' efforts to obstruct its investigation In its report summary, the committee detailed some of the efforts to obstruct its investigation. On far-right groups drawing inspiration from Trump: Trump has not denied that he helped inspire far-right groups, including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, to violently attempt to obstruct the official certification proceedings on Jan. 6. "There is no question from all the evidence assembled that President Trump did have that intent." Share this -Link copiedInside the final Jan. 6 committee meeting The Jan. 6 committee met for what’s likely its final public meeting, with many of the usual faces present. The committee will likely reveal Eastman’s referrals during Monday’s meeting, in addition to expected criminal referrals for Trump.

[1/5] A Texas National Guardsman watches as a group of migrants wades across the Rio Grande as U.S. border cities brace for an influx of asylum seekers when COVID-era Title 42 migration restrictions are set to end, in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. December 18, 2022. But because of an ongoing legal battle, it remains unclear whether Title 42 will end on Wednesday. For months, El Paso has been receiving large groups of asylum-seeking migrants, including many Nicaraguans who cannot be expelled to Mexico. On Saturday, the city's mayor declared a state of emergency to move migrants from city streets as temperatures have dropped below freezing. In El Paso, shelters have struggled to house incoming migrants, straining limited resources that are already accommodating the local homeless population.

☆ Jan. 6 committee live updates: Panel to vote on criminal referrals, adopt final report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Summer Concepcion | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

The committee's final public meeting is getting underway The Jan. 6 committee has gaveled in for its final public meeting. Key aides, however, aren’t expected to provide any formal reaction or weigh in on any of the possible criminal referrals and will likely defer to the Justice Department, these sources say. Share this -Link copiedHouse Republicans planning their own report to counter committee Republicans plan to release a counter report designed to serve as a rebuttal to the Jan 6 committee’s final report. Axios was first to report of the GOP plans to counter the Select Committee’s report. The committee will likely reveal Eastman’s referrals during Monday’s meeting, in addition to expected criminal referrals for Trump.

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